Theatre in Passing

A Moscow Photo-Diary

Theatre in Passing explores spaces of performance in contemporary Moscow. Inspired by French philosopher Michel de Certeau’s model of a "second, poetic geography" in which the walker—the everyday practitioner—invents the space observed by the voyeur, this book takes the reader on a tour of spaces of performance in contemporary Moscow. Through text and photography, the city’s "theatrical geography" is uncovered, from the Bolshoi Theater in Theater Square to hidden gems like the recently restored Kuskovo estate. With additional sections on street theater and other public gatherings, Theatre in Passing is a must-read book for anyone curious about the theatrical architecture and geography of Russia’s capital.

“Siemens gathers incidents of a Moscow habitus, the layering ghosts of poetry and performances, coups and commemoration, stilled yet wide-eyed and camera-ready at pavement level. At once retracing and composing the montage of her own ever-renewed belonging to Russia’s metropole, she invites her readers-cum-viewers to travel the cultural plot of one of the world’s most indefatigable cities.”

Nick Glossop, CJSR 88.5 FM

“Moscow receives the treatment often reserved for her younger, more glittering sister, St. Petersburg, in that she is seen as a city of the collective creative imagination. The great literary memes and historical themes of Russia wander the back alleys and grand squares, the Metro stations sing chastushki, the theatres are themselves players with checkered pasts, and rival place names shove each other about, jockeying for the spotlight. Siemens writes the city as she walks it, herself playing Virgil in the Moscow Circles.”

For more information, or to order this book, please visit http://www.press.uchicago.edu